Blood Ties
by Kagami Kyoji
Summary: When Rachel Alucard decides to involve another player in her quest to break the Wheel of Fate, the results are not quite what she expected... Chapter 4 up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own anything here

Rachel Alucard looked at the moon above her. It was not a full one, but its glow was radiant. Sipping the Earl Grey before her, she then replaced the cup on its saucer. She was in her garden, sitting on Nago, even as Gii had fallen asleep on the soft lawn grass.

"Valkenhayn, I'm done."

The butler manifested out of nowhere (as usual) to do the clearing up. But, first...

"Was there something wrong with the tea, Lady Rachel?"

"No. It's just..." The lady went silent. Tonight was going to be like one of those nights: boring. There was nothing she could do to break the wheel. It turns on and on, and time repeats itself...

She shook her head. There had got to be someone else she can work on. As for as a certain "him", she felt that she had hit a brick wall with that brat. The other brat was, to put it mildly, unstable. Her attention turned to a certain girl. Maybe...

"Lady Rachel, a penny for your thoughts?" As always, the butler was there for his mistress.

"Valkenhayn, I'm going to be out for a walk. When I return, I expect the library to be prepared for my use."

"As you wish, my lady. But, do be careful." She got up from her seat.

"Nago, wake Gii up. I'm tired of slapping him." Relieved from not having to support its mistress' weight, the "cat" promptly gave its companion a bite.

"Owww! Princess, why did you have to do that?"

"If you bothered to look more closely, you would know that it was Nago who woke you up. Now, come. Both of you are wanted."

"Where are we going, Princess," came the question in unison, even as Gii nursed the bite. The reply, was a crafty grin, complete with fangs.

"To have a little fun."

At the barracks of the Novus Orbis Librarium's 4th division of the Praetorian Guard...

Noel Vermillion was soundly asleep in her room. Due to the special nature of her assignment, she was given a room to herself. It was her first day at the 4th division and already, her superior, Jin Kisaragi, had berated her to no end. With that and all the moving, it came as no surprise that the girl slept like a log on the bed after merely removing her shoes and hat...

As the trio teleported right into the middle of the room, Nago couldn't help but whisper something.

"Princess, why are we here?"

For once, Rachel was silent. She saw her target. Good. With such a deep sleep, she could go ahead with her ritual. The familiars gazed in wonder as their mistress chanted an incantation. It was one which they could not identify. How could they, when Rachel herself used it so rarely? They then saw a pair of fangs manifest on the sleeping beauty's throat. As the teeth sank into her flesh, the girl merely stirred a little. The familiars knew that they were witnessing some powerful magic...

After the ritual, Rachel moved closer to admire her handiwork. The girl's golden locks were now snow-white. She should have a shock when she wakes up in the morning. As for herself, she hated to admit it, but virgin's blood was indeed... tasty. However, this was no mere feeding session. Rachel hoped that what she had done tonight would help the girl if and when she chose to break the wheel...

"Princess..."

"Our business here is done."

Back at the mansion...

"Lady Rachel, you're back." The butler bowed politely to receive his mistress.

"Valkenhayn, is the library ready?" Another bow.

"The books are at your disposal, my lady." She then turned to Gii.

"Gii, be sharp when you recite the papers to me later. I would not have you disrespect my father's words."

"Lady Rachel, you're going through the master's archives?" There was just a hint of worry in his words.

"There is something which I need to know more about. I'll let you know when you need to pitch in, Valkenhayn."

"It's my pleasure, my lady."  



	2. Changes

Disclaimer: Nothing here belongs to me.

The alarm next to her bed rang. After silencing it, she then sat up and stretched herself. Noel Vermillion wasn't exactly thrilled at waking up to another day of running errands and receiving verbal abuse from Major Kisaragi. But, what is this strange feeling on her neck? She gently touched it. Nothing was wrong; there was just that bit of numbness. No matter. It was time to wash up.

Dragging herself to the bathroom, she took a look at herself in the mirror. The half-asleep girl quickly woke up completely. She had seen a... ghost?

"Aiieeee!" Thankfully, her room was located at an isolated wing of the barracks. In the mirror staring back at her, was a girl with white tresses and a blood-red left eye. She was clad in a NOL uniform. Wait a minute, that last part... It then dawned upon Noel that she was looking at herself. Staring at her snow-hair hair, she panicked. How did her hair turn white overnight?

"Oh no! What am I going to do?"

Fighting hard to stay calm, the girl decided to do the usual routine: wash up and pretend that nothing had happened. What was the first thing she had to do for the day? Ah yes: report to the major...

On her way to the office, Noel couldn't help but notice that the other soldiers stared at her when she passed by them. Ignore them, just concentrate on getting to the office... Before long, she was outside the room. She gave the door a loud knock.

"Come in." The major's voice was plain, meaning that he had not delivered his first scolding of the day.

As she stepped into his presence, Jin had already prepared his scowl, but today, there was just that hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Lieutenant Vermillion, I presume you have an explanation for the colour of your hair today?"

Despite herself, her reply was cool and confident.

"Major Kisaragi, I do not. When I woke up this morning, my hair was already white."

"..." Jin was slightly taken aback. Just the day before, she had been a meek lamb. Now, here she was, answering his question with an air fit for her station. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, he was impressed.

"No matter. The Guards do not stop their work simply because of a small matter such as hair colour. But, tell me, Lieutenant, did something happen to you last night?"

"No, Sir. After you dismissed me for the night, I returned straight to my room to rest." I could get used to this, thought Noel, even as she continued to wonder where her new-found confidence came from. As Jin pondered his response, he noticed the blood-red eye.

"Lieutenant, that eye of yours... No explanations for that too?"

"...No, Sir."

"Get it examined by the medical officer. I do not want my men to have infectious diseases while they are on duty."

"Yes, Sir."

"While you're at it, have that hair of yours examined as well. Dismissed." He turned his back towards her. It was time to leave...

At the examination room...

"Lieutenant, I cannot tell how your red eye came about. However, you are slightly anemic. Do take care of that through your diet. As for your hair, I reckoned it was a result of stress. Give it a few days and it should be back to normal."

"Yes, Sir." The doctor (who was a captain, by the way) then entered his prescription into the system.

With her medication in hand (just some iron pills, really), Noel stepped out of the clinic. She had so many questions and no answers to them. Maybe, Tsubaki and Makoto can help her. She wondered if they would be free to visit her at such short notice...

"Major Kisaragi?" The doctor tried to keep his voice low, even though he was on a secured intercom.

"Yes?"

"You might want to see this. It's the result of Lieutenant Noel Vermillion's examination."

"What is so important about it which requires my precious time, Captain?" Jin was irritated by such a request.

"Sir, there is an unusual increase in her bodily functions. It's as if..." The man paused to choose his words carefully.

"As if what, Captain?"

"...as if she's becoming something which is not quite human, Sir."

"... Seal the file and send it to me. I'll look at it when I have the time."

"Yes, Sir."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own anything here.

In her room, Noel set aside the pills, and whipped out her communicator. She sent a message to both Tsubaki and Makoto, inviting them to the barracks after their classes were over. She should check for their replies after her duties were over...

"It's about time you returned, Lieutenant." Wisely, Noel chose to keep her mouth shut even as she looked at her superior in the eye. Jin turned his gaze aside. Those eyes...

"Your next task is to take the trainees for their combat training." He fought hard not to yell at her, such was the anger that was building up in him.

"Understood, Sir." She then gave a salute and left the room.

"Damn it!" The major then looked to his communicator. At least for today, all other orders would go through the device to her. If he saw that face for one more second, he was sure that he would start a fight...

At the training hall, Noel realised that the major had not been very precise with his orders. She was to be a sparring partner for the trainees. After all, it wouldn't be right for a new officer to be training new recruits so quickly. The head instructor paired her with a trainee. As was the custom, before sparring, the fighters would have to recite the NOL's motto.

"Dispatched in mankind's darkest hour, we are knights of the blue flame!"

Noel was sure that something was in her voice as she said the motto, for when she assumed her stance, she noticed that her opponent was shaking.

"Are you alright?"

"..Yeah!" That wasn't very convincing. Indeed, in that instant, the poor fellow thought that he was going to fight something otherworldly. As it turned out, he wasn't that far off the mark. Even with Bolverk set to its weakest setting, the trainee never did see Noel's movements. He hit the floor with a loud "thud". While the medics carried him off to the sickbay, Noel saw the need to allay some fears. The rest of the class were staring at her and becoming as white as her hair.

"He's alright, I promise!"

"Lieutenant, perhaps it would be better for you to excuse yourself from the class. I'll inform the major." The head instructor kept one observation to himself: that even he couldn't see how Noel had attacked the trainee. Seeing that her presence was indeed disruptive, Noel politely left the hall.

As she walked to her room, Noel was startled. During that short fight, she had actually been aware of what she was doing. She knew that she had shifted to the side, where the trainee had a blind spot. There, she fired a shot from Bolverk which would hit the back of his neck. She then shifted back to her starting position. There was just two things wrong with the picture. One was that she moved too fast (No one saw how she had attacked.) Two was her awareness. She had never been this observant of her moves before. Something was going on...

Her communicator rang. It was a message, from the major.

"You're dismissed for the day. Report to me first thing tomorrow morning," read Noel. Sighing, she then removed her hat. All personnel were allowed to take off their headgears once they were not on official duty. As her hair flowed past her shoulders, she caressed it. In those care-free days back in the Vermillion household, she had enjoyed an ancient fairy tale where the female lead was known as Goldilocks. Her foster mother mentioned that both of them had the same golden locks. But now...

She shook her head. All that was in the past. Though they were fond memories, perhaps it would be wiser to look to the future, she thought. She was already outside her room when she realised where she was. Although it was still morning, she thought that it would be a good idea to have a nap. This time, she would remember to change out of her uniform...

It was evening when she woke up. She had not been exactly exhausted when she lied down, but somehow, she didn't feel like waking up until the sun was down. Sitting up in her bed, she then heard a loud growl. It was then that she remembered that she had not eaten for the whole day... or taken her pills. Time to get them done. But first, she checked the communicator. There were new messages from Tsubaki and Makoto. They couldn't promise that they could come, but if they came, it would be late. Classes were particularly long, they noted (and in Makoto's case, boring).

At the mess hall, the dinner crowds were already thinning. Good for her, for the few who remained did the now-obligatory stares and hushed whispering. Despite the volume, Noel discovered that she could hear them as though they were talking right next to her. Their comments... Well, let's just say that she simply wanted to finish her meal and get the hell out of the place.

Just as she left, new messages were sent to her communicator. Tsubaki and Makoto were already outside the barracks. Her heartbeats were a little faster at the thought of seeing her friends again. Then, she remembered what Tsubaki had said to her not too long ago.

"Promise me that you'll always be the Noel that I know."

Am I myself right now? Somehow, Noel felt that she had failed Tsubaki on that count, and she didn't even know what the cause was...

Outside, under a tree by the road, Tsubaki and Makoto were waiting for their best friend to come. As usual, Makoto couldn't resist a little gossip.

"Hey, Tsubaki, why do you think Noel wants to see us?"

"I don't know. The last time I talked to her, she seemed pretty confident about fitting in."

Makoto jumped and caught hold of a low-lying branch. It was sturdy enough to hold her weight.

"She must be lonely," said the squirrel girl, as she swung from the branch. Wisely, Tsubaki kept her comments to herself. But, Makoto was right. Noel had always been shy and quiet. Till today, she was never quite sure how Noel managed to be best friends with her and Makoto...

"Tsubaki! Makoto!" The girls turned their attention towards the voice calling them. It was Noel's but what they saw running towards them was a girl with flowing white hair.

"Tsubaki, am I seeing things or is that really Noel?"

"..." Tsubaki was tongue-tied. The girl now stood before them, and the duo took a closer look. That face was Noel's, but that blood-red eye... By now, Noel knew that her appearance warranted some explanations.

"Guys, I don't know what happened last night. When I woke up this morning, I was already looking like this." Makoto let go of the branch. She then wrapped her arm around Noel's shoulder.

"Relax. We're still best buddies, are we not?"

"Thanks, Makoto!" The pair then noticed Tsubaki staring at them, a concerned look on her.

"What is it, Tsubaki," asked Makoto.

"Something's different with Noel now, and I don't mean her appearance." Makoto looked at Noel, and back at Tsubaki.

"Noel's more ... open now. In the past, whenever we're together, her gaze was mostly on the ground, especially if we have other people with us. But, so far, she had looked at us directly when she speaks."

"Tsubaki's right. Somehow, I no longer have the urge to avoid people's eyes when I talk to them."

"Good for you, Noel! I always knew that you could do it." Makoto was obviously happy that her friend had overcame her shyness (or so she thought).

"Well, I don't know if that had anything to do with my new appearance. Even Major Kisaragi wanted me to see the doctor for an examination."

"Speaking of him, how's he doing," asked Tsubaki.

"Still scolding you for no good reason, I presume," huffed Makoto.

"I heard that, Cadet Nanaya." The icy edge to the voice meant that the trio knew instantly who was behind them. They turned around and saluted the major.

"At ease. Tsubaki, it's getting late and if I'm not mistaken, you still have lessons tomorrow." The displeasure was clear in his tone. To everyone's surprise, it was Noel who spoke.

"Major Kisaragi, I was the one who invited them over for a chat. If there is anyone who needs to be punished, it should be me." Her tone was respectful, but firm.

"...Be sure to go back on time. I wouldn't want to explain to the Academy why two cadets were late for their lessons after meeting someone under my charge. As for you, Lieutenant, curfew would be on very soon, and I would not hesitate to have you court-martialed even if you're a minute late."

"I'll be mindful of the time, Major."

As Jin made his way to the entrance of the barracks, the trio heaved a sigh of relief.

"If he can berate someone like that, he must be alright," sniffed Makoto. Tsubaki, on the other hand, was glad that Noel was now able to stand up to him.

"Guys, I'm sorry that I couldn't stay longer. I just want to say that I'm grateful that you came."

"Don't be, Noel. We'll always be there for you," replied Makoto confidently.

"Take care." Tsubaki held out her hand.

"You too, both of you. In a few more months' time, both of you are graduating. Maybe, the three of us can go on a mission together." Noel stuck out hers as well.

"I look forward to that day," said Makoto as her hand joined in. The girls held each other's hands tightly. After that, it was time to go. As they left, Tsubaki remembered Noel's promise. Now, Noel wasn't exactly the Noel she remembered from before. But, she convinced herself that the changes were for the better... 


	4. Bolverk

Noel opened her eyes. She was standing in what seemed to be a vast, empty room. It was not well-lit, but she could at least see a few metres ahead of her. That was strange, she thought. The last thing she remembered was lying in bed, all cleaned-up and ready for dreamland. She looked at herself: she was still in uniform. Ok, so she was in dreamland. Another first. Although she did a lot of day-dreaming while awake, she couldn't remember the last time she had a proper dream during the night.

Walking where her nose pointed to, she looked around her. There was nothing, save for some light showing her the way. Some dream this was, she thought. Before long, she was at the entrance of a hallway. It reminded her of the barracks. Feeling like another old fairy-tale character (Alice), she decided to do some exploring.

On and on she walked. This was one heck of a place, she thought. There seemed to be somethng ahead... She stopped and took a closer look. It looked like a cell, with two fellows standing before the door. Who were these guys, she thought. Only one way to find out.

As the pair took notice of her, Noel could see a hint of surprise on their faces. Then, she realised that the two were twins, somewhat older-looking than her, but still very youthful and handsome. Time for some questions, she thought.

"Where am I?" Another surprised look from the pair. Apparently, they were expecting her to be more... fearsome.

"Erm... my lady, you're now in your own mind," the pair replied in what seemed to be one voice. Talk about being lost in your thoughts, wisecracked Noel to herself. But, wait a minute...

"Did you two just call me 'my lady'? Do I know you two?" The pair looked at each other, and back at Noel.

"My lady, we are Bolverk," said the pair with a bow. The girl was now puzzled.

"You two are Bolverk?" The twins could tell that she was not convinced.

"My lady, surely you remembered THAT monster..." Noel's head began to ache as she recalled the incident. She had all the proof she needed, for the only witnesses to that event, were herself... and the twins standing before her.

"Then, what are you two doing here? What's behind this door?" Instantly, the faint smile disappeared from their faces.

"My lady, we cannot tell you any more." Their tone indicated that it was the end of the conversation.

"Fellows, I sometimes have memory gaps while using you two. Is that what you're guarding?" Noel wasn't going to give up just like that. The twins looked at each other again. Maybe, they could reveal just a little more.

"My lady, behind this door, are your memories and emotions. The hatred, anger and sorrow which you have encountered, and not yet felt: they are all inside."

"Given your earlier tones, I really shouldn't be asking you guys to let me see those stuff." The pair nodded, grateful that they had such an understanding mistress. Truth be told, if not for their creator, they would gladly do whatever Noel commanded them to do. She stepped up to the door and rested her palm on it.

"In any case, guard them well. Though I do not know what they are, good or bad, they are still a part of me."

"We will, my lady."

"Oh... and thank you for helping me thus far. I wouldn't be me if not for you guys."

"It's our honour." Despite themselves, there was pride in those words. They saw it fit to let her know more about her current condition.

"My lady, your new-found courage and wisdom: they did not come by accident," said the twins cryptically.

"You guys know who was responsible?" Noel probably had one too many surprises for tonight. They nodded.

"But, we cannot tell, bound as we were by our creator to our duty." Noel gave their words some thought.

"Thank you. Now... how do I leave?" The smile returned to their faces.

"Close your eyes." And that was what she did. As everything went black, she heard a faint whisper.

"The Wheel of Fate... is turning."


End file.
